Raimondo fundraising leads group of potential R.I. candidates for governor

By PHILIP MARCELO

Thursday

Aug 1, 2013 at 12:01 AM

PROVIDENCE — After a fundraising quarter that had her attending high-profile fundraisers in Chicago and New York, state General Treasurer Gina Raimondo once again led the pack of potential gubernatorial...

PROVIDENCE — After a fundraising quarter that had her attending high-profile fundraisers in Chicago and New York, state General Treasurer Gina Raimondo once again led the pack of potential gubernatorial candidates in 2014.

The first-term Providence Democrat ended June with nearly $2.1 million in her coffers, according to campaign finance filings due to the state Board of Elections on Wednesday.

That’s up from the $1.7 million Raimondo — who has not thrown her name officially into the running — had as of March.

No Rhode Island politician eyeing statewide office appears to come close to that fundraising haul, including Governor Chafee. The newly minted Democrat reported a total of $377,391 on hand.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, another Democrat also weighing a run for governor, reported a balance of $692,590.

Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, a Republican also considering a run for governor, ended June with $256,498.

Rounding out the list was Moderate Party founder Kenneth Block, Chafee’s only announced 2014 challenger at this point.

The Barrington resident, who finished a distant fourth in the 2010 governor’s race, reported $73,987 in his campaign account as of June 30.

The only state politician that bests Raimondo’s haul is U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, one of the chamber’s highest-ranking Democrats. He had nearly $2.57 million in his 2014 federal reelection campaign as of June 30.

Wednesday’s campaign filings cover the period from April 1 to June 30.

Raimondo raised about $402,000 and spent about $59,000 during that time, which included a Chicago fundraiser co-hosted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel (a former congressman and chief of staff to President Obama) as well as a New York one hosted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Of Raimondo’s donors, more than 300 gave the maximum $1,000 allowable under state law. Among them were Alfred J. Verrecchia (board chairman at Hasbro), Larry Merlo (CEO of CVS Caremark) and Andrew Moffit (Raimondo’s husband).

They also included prominent out-of-state donors such as Jeffrey Katzenberg (CEO of DreamWorks Animation), Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) and Anna Quindlen (author).

Among Raimondo’s big-ticket expenses was $21,500 to Walsworth Landset Research, a political research firm headed by two former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee staffers.

Raimondo also reported more than $90,000 in her political action committee, “Gina PAC.”

That’s after raising $5,000 and spending more than $21,000 — largely on donations to other Democratic candidates, such as Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s bid for U.S. Senate in New Jersey.

Chafee’s $377,391 total comes after the independent-turned Democrat raised nearly $70,000 and spent $50,542 during the quarter.

But the governor’s second-quarter haul does not include a major fundraiser Chafee was slated to have Wednesday night at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Taveras’s $692,590 came after he raised more than $157,000 and spent nearly $26,000 during the same period.

The Providence mayor also reported a $1,330 balance in his political action committee, “Moving Providence Forward.”

Fung’s $256,498, meanwhile, comes after raising more than $110,000 and spending about $15,000 in the period.

Among the 50 or so donors that gave the $1,000 maximum donation were Alex and Ani executives Giovanni Feroce and Carolyn Rafaelian.

His expenses included nearly $8,000 to Targeted Strategies, a firm headed by former state Republican Party executive director Patrick Sweeney.

Block’s nearly $74,000 comes after raising about $54,000 and spending $426 during the quarter.

The report, however, does not account for expenses that Block has mentioned recently, such as retaining noted political operative Jeff Britt as his campaign manager, commissioning a poll and launching a billboard advertisement campaign.

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